Method and system for file server direct connection

ABSTRACT

A system for directly establishing network connections between a client and server system by means of a single compiled file that does not require an additional network communications system such as a web browser or other supporting application. Specifically, by launching the compiled file itself, a network connection is established to an encoded URL, and information is delivered to the user in the form of streaming media. Differing from a typical browser, or other typical network enabling software systems, the communication link established by the compiled file is predominantly one way and non-conversational. Relying on graphical animation media, the system permits the delivery of new information and embedded code in response to a user&#39;s action. Impact on system resources is reduced as overhead support software is not required. Likewise bandwidth is conserved and issues of privacy are maintained as minimal information is exchanged without user interaction.

PRIOR U.S. APPLICATION

This Specification is based on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.60/340,692 filed on Dec. 12, 2001. The inventor claims the benefit ofTitle 35, Section 119 of the U.S. Code based on said provisionalapplication.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice Patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the transfer of informationbetween client and server computer systems connected via networks,including, but not limited to, the global computer network commonlyreferred to as the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the growing prevalence of use and, in fact, reliance, upon theInternet for the transformation of data, dissemination of information,entertainment, recreation, and commercial activities, there is anever-increasing need to balance a variety of issues, not the least ofwhich include: a) privacy, b) system resources, and c) bandwidth.

While each of these issues involves a multitude of sub issues,fundamentally, they can each be understood in simplistic terms:

(a) Privacy—is the information transferred from one system to anotherhandled in such a way that it is secure from prying eyes and/or theftand misapplication? One simple example of such privacy concerns amongthe public community of Internet users is that credit card informationbe transferred in such a form that it cannot be stolen andmisappropriated.

(b) System resources—how much of the computer system must be dedicatedto the desired operation? Each and every application that is opened orrun on a computer, be it a client or server system, involves the use ofthat specific system's resources. In some situations, it is perfectlyacceptable to expend a significant amount of system resources toaccomplish a desired task, while at other times it may seem a waste tolaunch a sophisticated application that may require significant systemresources simply to transfer but a few bytes of information.

(c) Bandwidth—how much connectivity is available and must be dedicatedto the transfer of the information? There is a very close relationshipbetween the amount of bandwidth available and the amount of informationto be transferred.

Users of networked systems typically rely on robust applications, suchas web browsers and browser technology, to handle and maintain thetransfer of information between systems. In settings where the intent ofthe user is to truly use the browser or application, there is littlequestion given to the issue of engaged system resources or bandwidthusage, as both are fundamental components to the primary activityengaged in by the user. In other situations, however, such as emailadvertisements, including embedded links to merchandisers and/or siteswith information, banner ads, or simply the desire to enhance the speedof content delivery and interaction, the current practice of launchingan additional browser window or dedicated application to accommodate thenew media, initiate the connection, or transfer the information may befar more than the user desires.

Commonly, this methodology of using a browser or other preexistingapplication is employed simply because of the preexisting securitymeasures that are incorporated into browsers, as well as thelong-standing abilities of browsers to effectively negotiatecommunications between systems. This behavior is somewhat of adouble-edged sword, for, while providing means for permitting security,browser interaction also permits the automated exchange of informationthat is not secure.

Security measures themselves typically involve a number of complexelements, including (1) the generation, distribution and management ofpublic and private encryption keys, and (2) the burdens of establishingdedicated security systems and architecture for database systems used tostore, provide, and manipulate the information deemed worthy of securityprotection.

Further, system resources are taxed by requiring the system to launchand maintain an additional application that may well exceed thenecessary capabilities required for the desired communication and, insome cases, even the capabilities of the system itself. Additionally, asbrowsers and networked applications are continuously involved in two-waycommunication between the client and server systems involved in thecommunications, the bandwidth resources available to the communicationeffort are monopolized at a level, that although customary, are perhapsmore than truly required.

A great need exists for a system capable of communicating information ina secure, less system-intensive or invasive means and which minimizesbandwidth usage.

The present invention fills the above-mentioned needs. Specifically, thepresent invention provides a system for communication over a network bymeans of TCP/IP by means of a self-contained file that generates anon-conversational message directed to a server for storage and/orprocessing. The communication is direct between said file and saidserver without use of a browser application.

The present invention minimizes, if not eliminates, (1) the amount ofunintended information transferred from the client system to the serversystem, and (2) access to the client system from the server system(which may be unknowingly provided). The present invention provides themeans and capability to rapidly provide interaction between the clientand server systems by reducing the exchange of information to be asnearly one-way as possible, thus, conserving bandwidth resources andpermitting greater speed in transfer and perceived interaction. Thepresent invention provides the means and capability to transmit asecured message without requiring additional security systemapplications, protocols, or end user involvements. The present inventionprovides the means and capability to receive, keep, and maintain data ina secured form without requiring the distribution of encryption keys.

The present invention provides the means and capability to utilize adatabase server without requiring specific security integration or setupto manage encryption keys and processes from a single location withoutrequiring direct end user interaction, and to reduce the bandwidthrequirements for transfer, and thereby increase the relative speed ofthe communication transaction speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides amethod and system for sending to at least one custom server-basedapplication for storage or processing a non-conversational message fromat least one self-contained file from at least one first computercommunicating with at least one network using Internet protocol withoutopening the at least one first computer to the at least one networkcomprising the steps of: selecting at least one first file residing onthe at least one first computer; creating on the at least one firstcomputer a first data string representing contents of such at least onefirst file; attaching to such data string a URL indicator representingthe custom server-based application; and sending from such at least onefirst computer such first data string and such URL indicator in suchmanner that such at least one network is used for transmittal of suchfirst data string and such URL indicator to the at least one customserver-based application, and such transmittal may be made withoutopening the at least one first computer to the at least one network oruse of a browser. It further provides such a method and system whereinsuch transmittal serves, at least in part, a purpose of tracking atleast one action of such at least one first computer. Also, it providessuch a method and system further comprising the step of encrypting suchat least one first data string to form at least one encrypted datastring for use in the transmittal. And it provides such a method andsystem further comprising the steps of: providing for such at least onecustom server-based application to receive such transmittal; andproviding for such at least one custom server based application,responsive to receiving such transmittal, to make at least one selectedother first data string and URL indicator available to at least onesecond computer attached to at least one such network.

Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, this inventionprovides a system for sending to at least one custom server-basedapplication for storage or processing a non-conversational message fromat least one self-contained file from at least one first computerattached to at least one network using Internet protocol without openingthe at least one first computer to the at least one network and withoutusing a browser application comprising: interface means for selecting atleast one first file residing on the at least one first computer;processor means for creating on the at least one first computer a firstdata string representing contents of such at least one first file;processor means for attaching to such data string a URL indicatorrepresenting the custom server based application; and computercommunication means for sending from such at least one first computersuch first data string and such URL indicator in such manner that suchat least one network is used for transmittal of such first data stringand such URL indicator to the at least one custom server-basedapplication, and such transmittal may be made without opening the atleast one first computer to the at least one network or using a browserapplication. It also provides such a system wherein such transmittalserves, at least in part, a purpose of tracking at least one action ofsuch at least one first computer. Further, it provides such a systemfurther comprising processor means for encrypting such at least onefirst data string to form at least one encrypted data string for use inthe transmittal. And it provides such a system further comprising:computer communication means for providing for such at least one customserver-based application to receive such transmittal; and processormeans for providing for such at least one custom server-basedapplication, responsive to receiving such transmittal, to make at leastone selected other first data string and URL indicator available to atleast one second computer attached to at least one such network.

In all applications of the present invention as taught, thecommunication established between the networked systems (client andserver) is commenced entirely from the file created and provided underthe present invention.

Within the context of advertising and a user's responses to banner adsor embedded links in bulk email, traditionally, the user's request ishandled through re-direction. First, a connection is established with atracking system that records the user's response to the URL of theselected ad or link, and then, the destination IP address URL isprovided. According to the teachings of the present invention, thisaction is split into two separate, yet simultaneous actions. When a userclicks or requests a URL from the file, as presented under the presentinvention, the user is taken directly to the URL of interest, while aquery string is independently sent to the tracking server. Theperformance of the tracking server cannot affect the user's experience.Further, the use of independent connection processes insures that theuser's system and privacy is not further exposed to the tracking system.

Within the context of secured transactions, the present inventionprovides complete security by imposing encryption during the entireprocess of transmission and storage, and without opening the user'ssystem to the Internet.

Within the context of server side data sharing, the present inventionprovides fast and efficient, predominantly one-way communication,without opening the user's system to the Internet.

DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS AND CROSS-REFERENCES

The following terms and acronyms, explained below as background, areused throughout the detailed description:

Client-Server. A model of interaction in a distributed system in which aprogram at one site sends a request to a program at another site andwaits for a response. The requesting program is called the “client,” andthe program that responds to the request is called the “server.” In thecontext of the World Wide Web, the client is typically a “Web browser”that runs on a user's computer; the program that responds to Web browserrequests at a Web site is commonly referred to as a “Web server.”

Domain Name System (DNS). An Internet service that translates domainnames (which are alphabetic identifiers) into IP addresses (which arenumeric identifiers for machines on a TCP/IP network).

Flash. Provided by Macromedia, Flash is the leading vector-basedanimation tool for the web. Flash was initially intended to createanimations over the Internet by providing mathematical descriptions ofhow to draw the desired image, rather than providing the entire imageitself. Based upon code instructions rather than component bits ofimages, Flash files are typically much smaller in file size thenconventional image files.

Flash Player. Provided by Macromedia, this is a small application thatpermits a user's system to process the coded instructions of a Flashfile without instantiating an application other than the received Flashfile itself.

FSDC (File Server Direct Communication) Technology. A method toestablish a direct connection via the Internet between a self containedfile and a custom server based application for online securedtransactions, statistic tracking and server based data sharing.

General Description:

All existing applications to communicate with a user via the Internetare based on the following two methods.

-   -   (1) Using the Internet browser (Netscape and Internet explorer,        for example) to communicate with the server.    -   (2) Having the user download and install a custom application on        their hard drive to communicate with the server.

In case 1) the Internet browser holds specific objects (for example, thehistory object of the browser itself, or a custom object supported bythe browser) which can be recognized by the web server.

In case 2) the custom application installed on the user's computer isused to communicate with the server.

The present invention uses FSDC via the specific nature of the .swf filegenerated in Macromedia Flash software, which can send a query stringdirectly to the server (specific URL) without requests to the historyobject of the Internet browser.

Internet Information Server (IIS). Microsoft Corporation's Web serverthat runs on Windows NT platforms.

Internet. A collection of interconnected (public and/or private)networks that are linked together by a set of standard protocols to forma distributed network. While this term is intended to refer to what isnow commonly known as the Internet, it is also intended to encompassvariations that may be made in the future, including changes andadditions to existing standard protocols.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). A standard coding convention and setof codes for attaching presentation and linking attributes toinformational content within documents. During a document authoringstage, the HTML codes (referred to as “tags”) are embedded within theinformational content of the document. When the Web document (or “HTMLdocument”) is subsequently transferred from a Web server to a Webbrowser, the codes are interpreted by the Web browser and used to parseand display the document. In addition to specifying how the Web browseris to display the document, HTML tags can be used to create links toother websites and other Web documents (commonly referred to as“hyperlinks”). For more information on HTML, see Ian S. Graham, The HTMLSource Book, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 0471-11894-4).

Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP). The standard World Wide Webclient-server protocol used for the exchange of information (such asHTML documents, and client requests for such documents) between a Webbrowser and a Web server. HTTP includes a number of different types ofmessages that can be sent from the client to the server to requestdifferent types of server actions. For example, a “GET” message, whichhas the format GET, causes the server to return the document or filelocated at the specified Universal Resource Locator (URL).

IP Address. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages from onesystem to the next, based on the IP address of the destination. Theformat of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as fournumbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. Forexample, 204.81.21.151 is the IP address of PATENTDOC.COM.

.SWF. The suffix identifying a Flash file. The .swf format is the finalcompiled form produced by a system or tool capable of generatingMacromedia Flash files. The .swf files may be created from scratch andedited as .fls, or from template files identified as .swt files, neitherof which is intended for open distribution, as they are not compiled.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). A standardInternet protocol (or set of protocols) that specifies how two computersexchange data over the Internet. TCP/IP handles issues such aspacketization, packet addressing, and handshaking and error correction.For more information on TCP/IP, see Volumes I, II and III of Comer andStevens, Internetworking with TCP/IP, Prentice Hall, Inc., ISBNs0-13-468505-9 (vol. 1), 0-13-125527-4 (vol. II), and 0-13-474222-2 (vol.III).

Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A unique address which fully specifiesthe location of a file or other resource on the Internet. The generalformat of a URL is protocol://machine address:port/path/filename. Theport specification is optional, and if not entered by the user, the Webbrowser defaults to the standard port for whatever service is specifiedas the protocol. For example, if HTTP is specified as the protocol, theWeb browser will use the HTTP default port. The machine address in thisexample is the domain name for the computer or device on which the fileis located.

World Wide Web (“Web”). Used herein to refer generally to both (1) adistributed collection of interlinked, user-viewable hypertext documents(commonly referred to as “Web documents”, “Web pages”, “electronicpages” or “home pages”) that are accessible via the Internet, and (2)the client and server software components that provide user access tosuch documents using standardized Internet protocols. Currently, theprimary standard protocol for allowing applications to locate andacquire Web documents is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and theelectronic pages are encoded using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).However, the terms “World Wide Web” and “Web” are intended to encompassfuture markup languages and transport protocols that may be used inplace of, or in addition to, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) andthe Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of prior methods of tracking advertising viewsby users using re-direction.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the method of the present invention fortracking advertising views by users using one-way communication.

FIG. 3 is an example screen showing how a query string can be sent to aserver as a one-way message.

FIG. 4 is an example screen showing the entries in a database tablegenerated.

FIG. 5 is an example screen from a website where the tracking resultsmay be displayed to authorized users.

FIG. 6 is diagrammatical overview of the Internet communications used inthe system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatical overview of the website computer system.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical overview of the relationship among thewebsite servers and the users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A computer network is most simply described as a system in which variouscomputers are interconnected with one another for the sharing ofinformation. When a user connects his or her system to another system,the system they are connecting to is commonly referred to as the host.In many instances, a host is thought of as being a server (the systemserving information upon request), however, in actuality, the physicalsystem is the host, and the computer program that provides theinformation loaded on the host is the server. Systems that connect tothese hosts and their associated servers to receive information, such asthe Web Site, are typically called clients or user systems.

FIG. 1 illustrates the prior art methodologies involved for a user toaccess a website he or she sees in an advertisement on a website. Asshown, first, the user must connect to a website, and then select the adof interest. The associated URL for the ad is then activated, and the AdServer Website is contacted. The Ad Server receives the incoming requestfor the address location of the site advertised, records the requesttypically as tabulation for that particular ad, and re-directs the userto the actual host system providing the desired website. Upon connectionto this host, the requested information is sent directly back to theUser's system, and further interaction between the User and the Ad OwnerWebsite is direct, without further involving the Ad Server Website. Ifthere is heavy traffic in the network connections leading to the AdServer, or heavy traffic upon the Ad Server, the ability to reach thedesired Ad Owner Website may be impaired.

FIG. 2 depicts a high-level rendering of the present invention. Asshown, unlike the prior art methodology of routing from the PrimaryWebsite to the Ad Owner and then on to the Ad Server, under the presentinvention, preferably the Ad file itself initiates two substantiallysimultaneous communication links—one to the Ad Owner so that they maytabulate responses to their Ad, and a second communication to the AdServer site. By providing the desired Ad Server's address directly tothe User without the requiring redirection from the Ad Owner, the User,for example, is not impeded by network difficulties or traffic load atthe Ad Owner's location.

The method of the present invention is based on the idea that somespecific objectives on the Internet do not require a conversationbetween a user's computer and a server but can be achieved and evenworks better if the communication is one way from the user's computer tothe server.

The method of the present invention accomplishes tracking, securedtransactions and server side data sharing.

1) Tracking

Existing tracking methods, (by double click, for example) are based onthe idea of re-directing the user's request. With this method when theuser clicks on an ad file with an imbedded URL the request first goes toa specific URL which contains a special script or application whichcalculates these requests and then after executing this sends the userto the requested destination. This method slows down the user'sexperience and Internet performance because the user is connected to thetracking server first, then from the tracking server to the destinationserver, and the performance of the tracking server becomes an issue. Inthe method of the present invention these actions are split andindependent from each other. When the user clicks or requests a URL froma system file, the user is sent directly to the requested URL while aquery string is independently sent to the tracking server. Theperformance of the tracking server cannot affect the user's experience,and reliability is increased because the execution of these two actionsis not dependent on each other. This query string, or its result, cancontain or generate all the necessary information for statisticalcalculation, including time of action, IP address of the user and doesnot require any communication back from the server to the user, whichcan compromise the user's privacy.

2) Secured Transactions

Existing secured transaction methods (by Verisign, for example) is basedon the communication between a web server and an Internet browser on theuser's side. With a special file/key generated by Verisign the secureddata is encrypted on the user side and instantly unencrypted on theserver side. This method inevitably slows down the performance of thetransaction and at the same time cannot guarantee the total security ofthe user's information. The process and all its elements are occurringin the public Internet environment. The method of the present inventionproduces complete security for two reasons: 1) unencryption does notoccur during the transaction and 2) communication does not open theuser's computer to the Internet. With Macromedia Flash a specifictemplate is created and exported to the .swf format.

This .swf file generates a specific custom formula for the encryptionand unencryption of the data. Using Macromedia Flash two separate .swffiles are generated in a specific location of a server. The first filewill be saved in a folder open to the public, which will contain onlythe part of the formula, which will encrypt the data. The second file,the key file, will contain the formula which is required to unencryptthe data will be saved in a location closed to the public or on a discon a local computer. Also, this method allows generation of a formulafor unencryption and a specific pin, which will be known only by theadministrator. So even if the key file is stolen the formula cannot beactivated with out entering the pin. This method allows creating anunlimited amount of bits and formulas in the encryption process as wellas an unlimited amount of additional secured ideas of pins and password.For example you could set up a system three different pins known bythree different administrators and all three would be necessary tounencrypt the data.

Once the file with the form is filled by the user, the method of thepresent invention offers the ability to encrypt the data in the user'scomputer without a browser, or even without an application, even fromwithin an email body. The file grabs a string from the text field of theform, encrypts it using the specific formula made earlier and puts allthe data into a one line query string. This query string will be sent toa custom server side application which can be written in any language(visual basic, c++, java, PHP, cgi) and saved on the server in itsencrypted format. Unlike convention methods which immediately decryptdata and save that decrypted data on the server, the data saved on theserver remains encrypted and is useless to anyone who steals it. Inorder to decrypt the data, the encrypted file has to be opened with thepreviously generated key. For credit card processing, for example, thiskey can be stored in the processing bank, or on a local computer so thedata unencrypts only after the administrator accesses it.

3) Server side data sharing

With conventional methods data sharing on the Internet involves atwo-way communication between one or multiple users and a server. Asdescribed earlier, this two-way communication opens the user's computerto the public and slows down the performance of the data sharing. Withthe method of the present invention, a user sends his data one way tothe server. The data is then generated in an .swf file and sent to aserver for storage, or processing. The data can then be grabbed byanother user from the Internet, adjusted, then sent back to the serverto be generated and grabbed again. This method of data transfer is saferand faster, and works well with any application where data sharing isnecessary, such as distance learning, games, banking etc.

FIG. 3 shows an example of how the communication to the Ad Server ispreferably handled such that they may tabulate the response to the ad.The URL of the example Ad Server is<http://tracking.intergralpictures.com.getMessages.asp>. Information isappended to this URL following a “?” (Question Mark), in this case,“?trackingRecord”, which the Ad Server will parse from the URL, and viaits own programming, interpret as a command to tabulate a response tothe selected Ad. This same method of appending information to the URLpermits the system of the present invention to accomplish a variety ofcomplex and simple tasks, as will be further described below, and as maybe understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art of computercontrol and system design.

Below is an example of the type of code that preferably would exist onthe server, and which would process the received string of informationattached to the URL. The sample code below (which is in our case isgetMessage.asp file), grabs the query string received and stores it inthe database for tracking purposes (see result sample—FIG. 4):

<%@ LANGUAGE=″VBSCRIPT″ %> <% ′UID = Request.QueryString(″Id″) UID =Request.QueryString if UID = ″″ then UID = ″Anonymous″ if len(UID) > 100then UID = ″TooLongUID″ for i = 1 to len(UID) p = right(left(UID, i),1)if p = Chr(34) or p = Chr(39) then tmp = tmp & p end if next ′replaceUID, chr(34), ″″ ′replace UID, chr(39), ″″ UID = tmp Set cn =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Connection″) cn.Open ″FILEDSN=userData.dsn″Set rsCount = Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) Set rsVisitors =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) rsVisitors.Open ″SELECT * FROMvisitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID & ′′′′′, cn if rsVisitors.EOF thencn.Execute(″INSERT INTO visitors (UID, LastDate, LastTime, VisitCount)VALUES (′′′ & UID & ′′′,′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, 1)″) elsersCount.Open ″SELECT VisitCount FROM visitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID &′′′′′, cn cnt = rsCount.Fields.Item(″VisitCount″) cn.Execute(″UPDATEvisitors SET VisitCount = 1+″ & cnt & ″, LastDate = ′′′ & date & ′′′,LastTime = ′′′ & time & ′′′ WHERE UID = ′′′ & UID & ′′′′′) end if %>

FIG. 4 depicts an example of the database entries that are generated bythe code example above.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of the graphical interface provided to thesystem user to report back data collected by a system implemented underthe present invention.

Below is an example of code illustrating how the code from above can bemodified to store additional data, including, but not limited to, suchpreferred information as the Users IP address, as well as the date andtime of the visit. Also using this method administrator can createcustom applications or scripts, which will collect custom data based onhis objectives. For instance the following script, in addition to whatthe previous script does, stores IP address of the computer from whichit received the string in the database table “time” and time of eachparticular request:

<% @ LANGUAGE=″VBSCRIPT” %> <% ′UID = Request.QueryString(″Id″) UID =Request.QueryString if UID = ′′′′ then UID = ″Anonymous″ if len(UID) >100 then UID = ″TooLongUID″ for i = 1 to len(UID) p = right(left(UID,i),1) if p = Chr(34) or p = Chr(39) then tmp = tmp & p end if next′replace UID, chr(34), ′′′′ ′replace UID, chr(39), UID = tmp IP =Request.ServerVariables.Item (″REMOTE_HOST″) Set cn =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Connection″) cn.Open ″FILEDSN=counter.dsn″Set rsCount = Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) Set rsVisitors =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Reeordset″) rsVisitors.Open ″SELECT * FROMvisitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID & ′′′′′, cn if rsVisitors.EOF thencn.Execute(″INSERT INTO visitors (UID, LastDate, LastTime, VisitCount)VALUES (′′′ & UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, 1)″)cn.Execute(″INSERT INTO timelog (vID, vDate, vTime, vIP) VALUES (′′′ &UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, ′′′ & IP & ′′′)″) elsersCount.Open ″SELECT VisitCount FROM visitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID &′′′′′, cn cnt = rsCount.Fields.Item(″VisitCount″) cn.Exceute(″UPDATEvisitors SET VisitCount = 1+″ & cnt & ″, LastDate = ′′′ & date & ′′′,LastTime = ′′′ & time & ′′′ WHERE UID = ′′′ & UID & ′′′′′)cn.Execute(″INSERT INTO timelog (vID, vDate, vTime, vIP) VALUES (′′′ &UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & time & ′′′, ′′′ & IP & ′′′)″) end if %>

Below is an example of code that might be used to encrypt the contentsof a one-way message before it is sent. As shown, such encryption may beas simple as variable and string substitution. It is to be understoodthat the methodology of encryption is not strictly limited to a type orform as that depicted, rather, under the present invention, users of thesystem may implement whatever form of encryption technique best suitstheir purposes. What is specific to the present invention is that themethod of encryption is preferably provided to the User as part of thefile they access, thus, there is no need for the User to have, acquire,maintain, or otherwise provide an encryption means on his or her ownbehalf. Further, under appropriate circumstances, the encryption keysused may be modified in each message that is sent to a User, such thatsecurity is heightened, and tracking the distribution of the message orad file further enhanced. This shows a sample action script which can beattached to a frame or button of a Flash file, which takes thecharacters in the text field and converts each character in a sub-stringof a query string to be send to a server:

if (pas.charAt(0)==1) { firstChar = “046728763”; } elseif(pas.charAt(0)==2) { firstChar = “87290987”; } else if(pas.charAt(0)==3) { firstChar = “34089274”; } if (pas.charAt(1)==1) {thirdChar = “ad87f6adf76”; } else if(pas.charAt(1)==2) { thirdChar =“mwenbr53sd”; } else if(pas.charAt(1)==3) { thirdChar = “234hgjshd7643”;} if (pas.charAt(2)==1) { secondChar = “nbvqwev672”; } else if(pas.charAt(2)==2) { seeondChar = “823764ggd”; } else if(pas.charAt(2)==3) { secondChar = “asdh28373ghssdfs3”; } encryptedString= firstChar+secondChar+thirdChar; en = encryptedString; // so the “loadvariable” string will look like http://website.com/getMessage.asp?en

Referring now to FIG. 6, an overview of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The present invention preferably comprises acomputer system 108. The computer system 108 comprises input and outputdevices, as is well-known in the art. For example, the computer system108 preferably comprises a display screen or monitor 104, a keyboard116, a printer 114, a mouse 106, etc. The computer system 108 furtherpreferably comprises a database 102 for storage of the data, andsoftware comprising preferred embodiments of the present invention. Thecomputer system 108 is preferably connected to the Internet 112 thatserves as the presently preferred communications medium. The Internet112, as previously discussed, comprises a global network of networks andcomputers, public and private. The Internet 112 is the preferableconnection method by the users 118, 120, 122 and nnn in preferredembodiments of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the computer system 108 is shown in moredetail. The computer system 108, in a preferred embodiment, comprises adatabase server 124, an application server 125, and a web server 126.The database server 124 preferably runs in a variety of operating systemenvironments, including MS Windows NT, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows XP,Linux and others, and preferably utilizes a variety of databasemanagement systems, including MS SQL Server, Oracle and others. Theapplication server 125 preferably runs in a variety of operating systemenvironments, including MS Windows NT, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows XP,Linux and others. The web server 126 also preferably runs in a varietyof operating system environments, including MS Windows NT, MS Windows2000, MS Windows XP, Linux and others. Preferably, the web server 126operates only as the web server.

Referring to FIG. 8, a simplified functional diagram of a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown. This Figure shows thepreferred relationships between a user 118 (exemplary of any number ofusers 118, 120, 122, nnn), the Internet 112, the web server 126, theapplication server 125 and the database server 124. As shown, a user 118requests a page from the web site of the present invention. The user 118is preferably connected via the internet 112, and the web page requestinitiates a call to the present invention. The present invention thenmakes at least one request to the database server 124 and generates anHTML page for transmission to the user 118 following the databaseserver's completion of the present invention's request and transmissionof the requested data back to the web server 126. The web server 126transmits the completed HTML page containing the data requested by theuser 118 through the Internet 112 to the user 118.

In application, the server operating under the present inventionpreferably generates and delivers to the client by means of email, or asan embedded ad in a web page, a compiled file. Preferably, this compiledfile is a Flash file identified by the .swf suffix. The use of theMacromedia Flash file is preferred because of the ability to provideinstructional code within the .swf, and because nearly all clientcomputer systems have been enabled with the Flash player as a result ofnormal Internet browser configuration. It is to be understood that underthe teachings of the present invention, any type of file that is capableof operation without the instantiation of an additional applicationcould be used in place of Flash and the .swf file; however, presently,such is the preferred method of operation.

Under the present invention, the user activates the compiled file bysuch means as they prefer for their chosen computer system, typicallyplacing the mouse cursor over the file or ad, and double clicking themouse. As enabled by the Flash player, the file launches as aself-contained window. As directed by its internal coding, the .swfestablishes a connection, via TCP/IP, with the specified server, andpulls Flash images for presentation to the user.

In the situation depicted in FIG. 2, the coding of the .swf fileestablishes two substantially simultaneous connections, with one to theindicated server, for the purpose of fetching Flash images forpresentation to the user, and the second communication link to the AdServer, so that a tabulation may be made, appropriately noting theresponse to the ad. As the communications to both systems are only madeonce the file has been open, this is preferred over the prior artmethodologies, which initiate the communication for tabulation prior tocompleting the link to the desired site. In many cases, such tabulationis premature, as the User may close the window before the earlierdesired material is delivered.

Various components of the Flash window are preferably enabled for userinteraction. Such components may be text input boxes, option buttons, orother components. As each image that comprises the animated presentationmust be delivered to the client system, the server is provided with ameans to track the time and length of the connection.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the client selects an enabled feature of theactive Flash screen, the compiled program attaches a specific codeelement (which may be previously defined, or compiled with user suppliedinformation) to a URL internally known to the file. This information isreceived by the server, and parsed from the end of the URL by meanscommonly known and understood by those skilled in the art of network anddatabase interaction. Based upon the returned information as parsed, theserver may modify or select a different image for delivery to the clientsystem. In other instances, the information returned may preferablysimply be written to a database for use or tabulation at a later date.

If desired, the present invention teaches that the file may preferablycontain methodology for encryption, thus permitting the informationattached to the end of the URL and directed back to the server to beprotected. Under appropriate circumstances, the client user material canbe encoded.

The standard prior art way to load variables is using “GET” or “POST”method. “GET” is sending it in URL as a part of a string (everythingafter “?” sign; ex: http://website.com?variable (limited number ofcharacters—little bit more then 8000). “POST” sends variables in thebody of a document (unlimited number of characters). Both ways requirecommunication between browser and a server. The present invention usesaction “load variables” which are put in a URL string, as used for a“GET” method, but not sending it—“Don't send”. It is “One way message”and a server will not be able to answer because it does not know to whomit is talking to. But for purposes of the present invention an answer isnot needed—a server will receive a request for a certain document (via aURL ASP file, written, for example, on Visual Basic which grabs thereceived variable (as a query string—everything after “?” sign) andstores it in a server based database). This process is invisible foruser because there is no software or browser objects involved—they can'treact on a server response, which is the missing part in this method.

Sample code (which is in the present case is getMessage.asp file), whichgrabs the query string received and stores it in the database fortracking purposes is provided below:

<%@ LANGUAGE=″VBSCRIPT″ %> <% ′UID = Request.QueryString(″Id″) UID =Request.QueryString if UID = ″″ then UID = ″Anonymous″ if len(UID) > 100then UID = “TooLongUID″ for i = 1 to len(UID) p = right(left(UID, i),1)if p = Chr(34) or p = Chr(39) then tmp = tmp & p end if next ′replaceUID, chr(34), ″″ ′replace UID, chr(39), ″″ UID = tmp Set cn =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Connection″) cn.Open ″FILEDSN=userData.dsn″Set rsCount = Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) Set rsVisitors =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) rsVisitors.Open ″SELECT * FROMvisitors WHERE UID′′′ & UID & ′′′′′, cn if rsVisitors.EOF thencn.Execute(″INSERT INTO visitors (UID, LastDate, LastTime, VisitCount)VALUES (′′′ & UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, 1)″) elsersCount.Open ″SELECT VisitCount FROM visitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID &′′′′′, cn cnt = rsCount.Fields.Item(″VisitCount″) cn.Execute(″UPDATEvisitors SET VisitCount = 1+″ & cnt & ″, LastDate = ′′′ & date & ′′′,LastTime = ′′′ & time & ′′′ WHERE UID = ′′′ & UID & ′′′′′) end if %>.

FIG. 4 depicts the entry in the database, stored on a server andconnected using userData.dsn file. In this sample the database (MSAccess file) file contains a table named ‘visitors’. The only thing thisscript does is it grabs the query string (which is a simple literalstring like ‘mapauIWIN250×250c’ and is identifier of a certain trackingfile, put it in a new row in the table, if it is not exists yet in thetable, adds (or update) day and time of the request and calculate numberof requests (adds 1 to existing number). This method does not requireany configuration or setup for a new tracking documents or files—any newliteral string received will create a new row in the table. Once it'sdone, using any standard solution administrator can put this tableonline for visual representation of data in real time—this table can beseen online at http://tracking.integralpictures.com/mapau (user: mapau,password: foster ). A user can go tohttp://http://www.integralpictures.com/mapau/iwin/250×250 and click onit, refresh the tracking page and will see the changes (day, time andvisits count) on the rows ‘mapauIWIN250×250i’ (the string which identify“impressions” of this ad sent from the file when opened) and‘mapauIWIN250×250c’ (the string which identify “click through” whichsend this string when the user clicks on a ‘spin’ button). This file isattached to an email—and can be opened without any browser or softwareand if the user's computer is connected to the Internet the user willsee the same result without a browser.

Also using this method a system administrator can create customapplications or scripts, which will collect custom data based on hisobjectives. For instance the following script, in addition to what theprevious script does, stores IP address of the computer from which itreceived the string in the database table ‘time’ and time of eachparticular request:

<%@ LANGUAGE=″VBSCRIPT″ %> <% ′UID = Request.QueryString(″Id″) UID =Request.QueryString if UID = ″″then UID = ″Anonymous″ if len(UID) > 100then UID = ″TooLongUID″ for i = 1 to len(UID) p = right(left(UID, i),1)if p = Chr(34) or p = Chr(39) then tmp = tmp & p end if next ′replaceUID, chr(34), ″″ ′replace UID, chr(39), ″″ UID = tmp IP =Request.ServerVariables.Item (″REMOTE_HOST″) Set cn =Server.CreateObject(“ADODB.Connection”) cn.Open ″FILEDSN=counter.dsn″Set rsCount = Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) Set rsVisitors =Server.CreateObject(″ADODB.Recordset″) rsVisitors.Open ″SELECT * FROMvisitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID & ′′′′′, cn if rsVisitors.EOF thencn.Execute(″INSERT INTO visitors (UID, LastDate, LastTime, VisitCount)VALUES (′′′ & UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, 1)″)cn.Execute(″INSERT INTO timelog (vID, vDate, vTime, vIP) VALUES (′′′ &UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, ′′′ & IP & ′′′)″) else.6rsCount.Open ″SELECT VisitCount FROM visitors WHERE UID=′′′ & UID &′′′′′, cn cnt rsCount.Fields.Item(″VisitCount″) cn.Execute(″UPDATEvisitors SET VisitCount = 1+″ & cnt & ″, LastDate = ′′′ & date & ′′′,LastTime = ′′′ & time & ′′′ WHERE UID = ′′′ & UID & ′′′′′)cn.Execute(″INSERT INTO timelog (vID, vDate, vTime, vIP) VALUES (′′′ &UID & ′′′, ′′′ & date & ′′′, ′′′ & time & ′′′, ′′′ & IP & ′′′)″) end if%>.

The secured transition works the same way. The difference is instead“literal string”, which is identifier in the tracking process, it is anencrypted message which holds the actual information.

Below is a sample action script which can be attached to a frame orbutton of a Flash file, which takes the characters in the text field andconvert each character in a substring of a query string to be send to aserver:

if (pas.charAt(0)==1) { firstChar = “046728763”; } else if(pas.charAt(0)==2) { firstChar = “87290987”; } else if(pas.charAt(0)==3) { firstChar = “34089274”; } if (pas.charAt(1)==1) {thirdChar = “ad87f6adf76”; } else if(pas.charAt(1)==2) { thirdChar = “mwenbr53sd”; } else if(pas.charAt(1)==3) { thirdChar = “234hgjshd7643”;} if (pas.charAt(2)==1) { secondChar = “nbvqwev672”; } elseif(pas.charAt(2)==2) { secondChar = “ 823764ggd”; } else if(pas.charAt(2)==3) { secondChar = “asdh28373ghssdfs3”; } encryptedString= firstC har+secondChar+thirdChar; en = encryptedString;The “load variable” string will look likehttp://website.com/getMessage.asp?en

For instance if a user enters “123” in a text field “pas”, the URLstring will look like:http://website.com/getMessage.asp?046728763asdh28373ghssdfs3 mwenbr53sdwhere 046728763asdh28373ghssdfs3 mwenbr53sd is 123, but046728763asdh28373ghssdfs3 mwenbr53sd will be stored in a new row of thedatabase. In order to see the actual data a key file is used whichcontains a script (the same formula backwards or any other customformula) which knows the logic and can understand what this line means.The script can be as simple as the following:

if (pin==“1234”) { if (en.charAt(8)==3) { firstUn = “1”; } elseif(en.charAt(7)==7) { firstUn = “2”; } else if(en.charAt(7)==4) {firstUn =“3”; } if (en.charAt(19)==6 || en.charAt(18)==6) { secondUn =“1”; } else if(en.charAt(19)==“d” || en.charAt(18)==“d”) { secondUn=“2”;} if (en.charAt(12)==“h” || en.charAt(11)==“h”) { secondUn =“3”; } } //and so on . . . unencryptedString = firstUn+secondUn; un =unencryptedString;

As can be seen in even this simple sample the administrator has to knowa pin “1234” in order to activate the script and unlimited amount of“unknown” parameters could be involved in an encryption process/formulas(like length of each substring and a formula behind it can be different,and also each particular transaction may contain a different key or partof a key/formula). Also the encrypted message can be created in a“literal string” format or binary format or a combination of both, whichdoes the encryption much more sophisticated and practically impossibleto unencrypted without key file.

The data sharing process is also based on the same idea—data can bestored on the server directly from the file. As a sample let's take agame—“chess”. Both players know the URL to the file which is stored on aserver and can show them the result of the database entries. Each playerhas his own identifier name (which is a query string as discussed above“player1”,“player2” like “mapauIWIN250×250”. . . ). The sample message(a player's step) may look like:

http://website.com/getMessage.asp?player1+E2E4

For instance, if an email is created in the HTML format any click on alink will instantly open the browser first and show the requesteddocument inside the opened browser. In addition, if a form in the HTMLcode of the email body is created and an attempt is made to directlyconnect to a URL with a server side script a window will pop up, whichsays “This action will be not a secured action and all informationstored in email software including email addresses can be read from theserver.” To make any connection the server has to see, connect orcommunicate with the application on the remote computer. Only anInternet browser supports the privacy of a communication, so to attemptthis connection from the email body opens the remote computer to thepublic.

Encryption may be achieved by means of the present invention as follows:

A message can be encrypted using randomly generated numbers (attached is.swf file which illustrates how this script works—it can be saved on ahard drive and then opened in the browser.) Every click (transaction)this script randomly generate a key number first, which it uses inalgorithm to encrypt up to 16 digits credit card number. In this samplethis algorithm is just simple formula“myNewDigit=digit*rendomKeyNumber”, but it can be practically universalif it will contains a pin number, known only by a user: ex.“myNewDigit=(digit*rendomKeyNumber)−myPinNumber”. The randomly generatedkey itself is a part of a new string to be send to a server, but it doesnot help anybody if he does not know the algorithm we used to hide itinside the message string. Also he has to know a ‘pin’ (or ‘pins’because this algorithm may contain multiple pins used in the formulas),the length of a key number substring, the length of each substring of anew number in a formula results, and in which order we placed the new,created by algorithm, numbers.

The script on a user side:

-   k=random(1000000); // in LOTTERY people dialing with 51 random    numbers!-   pin=myNumber // any numb er known by user (ex. “2” or “5783” . . . )-   ks=k.toString();-   kl=ks.length;-   n1=card.charAt(0)*k;-   n2=card.charAt(1)*k;-   n3=card.charAt(2)*k;-   n4=card.charAt(3)*k;-   n5=card.charAt(4)*k;-   n6=card.charAt(5)*k;-   n7=card.charAt(6)*k;-   n8=card.charAt(7)*k;-   n9=card.charAt(8)*k;-   n10=card.charAt(9)*k;-   n11=card.charAt(10)*k;-   n12=card.charAt(11)*k;-   n13=card.charAt(12)*k;-   n14=card.charAt(13)*k;-   n15=card.charAt(14)*k;-   n16=card.charAt(15)*k;-   n1s=n1.toString();-   n2s=n2.toString();-   n3s=n3.toString();-   n4s=n4.toString();-   n5s=n5.toString();-   n6s=n6.toString();-   n7s=n7.toString();-   n8s=n8.toString();-   n9s=n9.toString();-   n10s=n10.toString();-   n11s=n11.toString();-   n12s=n12.toString();-   n13s=n13.toString();-   n14s=n14.toString();-   n15s=n15.toString();-   n16s=n16.toString();-   n11=n1s.length;-   n21=n2s.length;-   n31=n3s.length;-   n41=n4s.length;.n51=n5s.length;-   n61=n6s.length;-   n71=n7s.length;-   n81=n8s.length;-   n91=n9s.length;-   n101=n10s.length;-   n111=n11s.length;-   n121=n12s.length;-   n131=n13s.length;-   n141=n14s.length;-   n151=n15s.length;-   n161=n16s.length; message=(k1−pin)+″″+k+″″+(n11−pin)+″″+-   n21+″″+n31+″″+n41+″″+n51+″″+n61+″″+n71+″″+n81+″″+n91+″″+n101+″″+n111+″″+(n121+pin)+″″+n131+″″+n141+″″+n151+″″+n161+″″+n1+″″+n2+-   9+″″+n10+″″+n11+″″+n12+″″+(n13−pin*3)+″″+n14+″″+n15+″″+n16+″″+k*pin;    The script to read the encrypted message:-   dk=Number(message.charAt(0))+pin;-   key=Number(message.substring(1, dk+1));-   ds1=Number(message.charAt(dk+1))+pin;-   ds2=Number(message.charAt(dk+2));-   ds3=Number(message.charAt(dk+3));-   ds4=Number(message.charAt(dk+4));-   ds5=Number(message.charAt(dk+5));-   ds6=Number(message.charAt(dk+6));-   ds7=Number(message.charAt(dk+7));-   ds8=Number(message.charAt(dk+8));-   ds9=Number(message.charAt(dk+9));-   ds10=Number(message.charAt(dk+10));-   ds11=Number(message.charAt(dk+11));-   ds12=Number(message.charAt(dk+12))−pin;-   ds13=Number(message.charAt(dk+13));-   ds14=Number(message.charAt(dk+14));-   ds15=Number(message.charAt(dk+15));-   ds16=Number(message.charAt(dk+16));-   nu1=Number(message.substring(dk+17, dk+17+ds1))/key;-   nu2=Number(message.substring(dk+17+ds1, dk+17+ds1+ds2))/key;    nu3=Number(message.substring(dk+17+ds1+ds2, dk+17+ds1+ds2+ds3))/key-   nu4=Number(message.substring(dk+17+ds1+ds2+ds3, dk+17+ds1+ds2+ds-   dkt=dk+17+ds1+ds2+ds3+ds4;-   nu5=Number(message.substring(dkt, dkt+ds5))/key;    nu6=Number(message.substring(dkt+ds5, dkt+ds5+ds6))/key;    nu7=Number(message.substring(dkt+ds5+ds6, dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7))/key;    nu8=Number(message.substring(dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7, dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7+ds8))-   nu9=Number(message.substring(dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7+ds8, dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7'-   dktt=dkt+ds5+ds6+ds7+ds8+ds9;-   nu10=Number(message.substring(dktt, dktt+ds10))/key;-   nu11=Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10, dktt+ds10+ds11))/key;    nu12=Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10+ds11,    dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12))/key;-   nu13=(Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12,    dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13))+pin)/key;-   nu14=Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13,    dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13+ds14))/key;    nu15=Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13+ds14,    dktt+ds10+ds11+ds    4+ds15))/key;-   nu16=Number(message.substring(dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13+ds14+ds15,    dktt+ds10+ds11+ds12+ds13+ds14+ds15+ds16))/key;-   cardBack=-   nu1+″″+nu2+″″+nu3+″″+nu4+″″+nu5+″″+nu6+″″+nu7+″″+nu8+″″+nu9+″″+nu10+″″+nu11+″″+nu12+″″+nu13+″″+nu14+″″+nu15+″″+nu16;

While the present invention has been shown and described herein in whatare considered to be the preferred embodiments thereof, illustrating theresults and advantages over the prior art obtained through the presentinvention, the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments.Thus, the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to betaken as illustrative and other embodiments may be selected withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A method for direct network communication between a file and a servercomprising the following steps: selecting a data file that is stored ona computer, said computer communicating with a network; creating on saidcomputer a self-contained compiled file comprising a data stringrepresenting the contents of said data file and a URL indicator attachedthereto representing a custom software application that is stored on aserver, said self-contained compiled file causing said custom softwareapplication stored on said server to take specified preprogrammed actionafter receiving a one-way non-conversational message from saidself-contained compiled file; encrypting said data string to form one ormore encrypted data strings for use as said one-way non-conversationalmessage to said custom software application at said server; sending saiddata string and said URL indicator from said self-contained compiledfile as a one-way non-conversational message to said custom softwareapplication stored on said server via said network without having to usean Internet browser application and without having to open said computerto said network for two-way communication; and receiving said one-waynon-conversational message at said server, logging receipt of saidmessage and causing said specified preprogrammed action to be takenwithout communication back from said server to said computer.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said self-contained compiled file is a .swffile.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sendingsaid data string and said URL indicator from said server to a secondcomputer communicating with said network.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein said network communications utilize Internet protocols.
 5. Amethod for file server direct communication comprising the steps of:selecting a data file residing on a computer that communicates with anetwork that utilizes Internet protocol for communications; creating onsaid computer a self-contained compiled file comprising a data stringrepresenting the contents of said data file; attaching to said datastring a URL indicator corresponding to a custom software applicationstored on a server, said self-contained compiled file causing saidcustom software application stored on said server to take specifiedpreprogrammed action after receiving a one-way non-conversationalmessage from said self-contained compiled file; encrypting said datastring to form one or more encrypted data strings for use as saidone-way non-conversational message to said custom software applicationat said server; sending from said computer said data string and said URLindicator via said network to said custom software application stored onsaid server as a one-way non-conversational message, without openingsaid computer to said network for two-way communication and withoutrequiring use of a browser application; and receiving said one-waynon-conversational message at said server, causing said specifiedpreprogrammed action to be taken without any communication back fromsaid server to said computer.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising the step of logging receipt of said one-waynon-conversational message after receipt at said server.
 7. The methodof claim 5, further comprising the step of providing for said customsoftware application at said server, after receiving said one-waynon-conversational message, to make said data string and said URLindicator available to a second computer communicating with saidnetwork.
 8. A system for file server direct communication comprising:one or more data files; a computer storing said one or more data files,said computer communicating with a network; a server communicating withsaid network; a custom software application stored on said server;interface means for selecting a file from said one or more data filesstored on said computer; processor means for creating a self-containedcompiled file comprising a data string corresponding to the contents ofsaid selected file and attaching to said data string a URL indicatorrepresenting said custom software application stored on said server,wherein said self-contained compiled file causes said custom softwareapplication stored on said server to take specified preprogrammed actionafter receiving a one-way non-conversational message from saidself-contained compiled file; means for encrypting said data string toform one or more encrypted data strings for use as said one-waynon-conversational message to said custom software application at saidserver; and computer communication means for sending from said computersaid first data string and said URL indicator as a one-waynon-conversational message to said custom software application at saidserver via said network without a message from said server back to saidcomputer, without opening said computer to said network for two-waycommunication and without requiring use of an Internet browserapplication.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said one-waynon-conversational message serves, at least in part, a purpose oftracking at least one action of said computer.
 10. The system of claim8, further comprising means for said data string and URL indicator to besent from said server to a second computer communicating with saidnetwork after said one-way non-conversational message is received bysaid custom software application at said server.